Nobody knows how transgenderness happens. There are theories about genetic inheritance, hormone levels in the womb, experiences of gender roles in childhood, among other possible formative factors.

Some or all may be relevant, but in some ways none are relevant: Why should naturally occurring difference have a cause? Does seeking a cause not imply a concern that something has gone wrong?

One shouldn’t need to ask why people are different. Arguably the question is why society tends to demand such narrow gender conformity, trying to prohibit one gender from experiencing society in ways that are deemed the preserve of the other.

Wherever it comes from, most transgender people are first aware of their transgender wishfulness between the ages of five and ten. Almost always, it is then suppressed because of the child’s awareness of social – and especially peer – pressure to conform to gender stereotype. This is especially true for males: A sissy is considerably less socially acceptable than a tomboy.

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